The invention disclosed and claimed herein relates to a new and improved spring clips for holding or retaining sheets of paper or documents together. Clips for fastening papers or documents are well known in the prior art. They come in different forms, shapes, and sizes. One popular type of spring clips comprise pairs of flat jaw holding or gripping plates having forward edges or leading lips, which press against each other resiliently. A pair of levers are provided at the leading edges. A person desiring to use such a clip, uses the levers to spread or pry the leading edges away from each other whereby paper may be inserted therebetween or removed therefrom. Another form of such spring clips comprises ear-like side extensions and requires a special opening device having opening guides, rails, or the like which are inserted between adjacent extensions to thereby engage and spread the lips of the gripping plates. The structure of these types of clips is such that only the projected extensions of the clip are engaged with the opening guides so that in the case of relatively small or moderate size clips of this type, the clips may disfigure or permanently bend the projections, especially if they are used repeatedly. Moreover, such extensions may not be suitable for relatively larger clips. Also, in the case of such clips with side projections, the production thereof requires the inconvenience of an extra cutting step and the removal and wasteful disposal of material cut from rectangular blanks or sheets. Where the spring clip is made with levers for spreading the gripping plates, a substantial force is often required to open even relatively moderate size spring clips of this type. Moreover, such levers tend to prevent the clipped sheets from being turned up.
In a search of the prior art, the United States patents listed below were noted as being of interest:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee Year Class/Subclass ______________________________________ 360,960 Hamilton 1887 24/67.9 487,960 McDonald, Jr. 1892 24/67.5 522,257 McDonald 1894 24/67.5 913,876 Cohen 1909 24/67.5 1,150,073 Spengler 1915 24/259 1,245,936 Loveland 1917 24/67.9 1,314,818 Lea 1919 24/67.9 1,590,682 Hart 1926 24/255 2,385,209 Joyce 1945 24/259 2,999,569 Wilson 1961 24/259 3,286,381 Wooge 1966 24/67.5 3,648,334 Swaim 1972 24/259 3,914,824 Purdy 1975 24/67.9 4,332,060 Sato 1982 24/67.9 ______________________________________